Lake San Marcos, CA truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Lake San Marcos: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Lake San Marcos and San Diego County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use San Diego County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
2.8 deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes vs 3.6 for all trucks.
Deadliest roads
How San Diego County compares with California
San Diego County against California and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where San Diego County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | San Diego County | California | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 17.6 | 33.2 | 49.7 | 47% below the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 3.6 | 3.6 | 3.4 | same |
| Injuries per crash | 0.51 | 0.44 | 0.49 | 1.2× the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 2.8% | 1.6% | 2.3% | 1.7× the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 0.3% | 0.9% | 6.2% | 70% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 26.3% | 23.5% | 23.7% | 1.1× the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 7.4% | 6.5% | 13.8% | 1.1× the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 41.8% | 40.2% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 28.0% | 29.1% | 24.8% | same |
Compared with California, San Diego County is lower on crashes per 100k residents / yr and on snow, slush or ice. It runs above California on injuries per crash, garbage-truck share and morning rush (6–10 am).
San Diego County at a glance: 1 in 36 garbage-truck share of crashes is 2.8%, against 1.6% for California.
Overview
Police reported 6,646 crashes involving commercial trucks in San Diego County since 2015: 3,402 people were injured and 235 were killed.
Across the years with complete reporting, that is roughly 2 truck crashes every day.
Only 2 truck crashes were reported in Lake San Marcos since 2015; patterns below come from San Diego County as a whole.
When crashes happen
The worst month is March with 8.8% of truck crashes; the quietest is November at 7.8%.
November through March accounts for 41.8% of truck crashes here, compared with 40.2% in California.
The busiest hour is 7–8 am, with 7.0% of truck crashes.
Snow, slush or ice was on the road in 0.3% of truck crashes, compared with 0.9% in California.
Where crashes happen
The deadliest road for trucks within 10 miles of Lake San Marcos is I-15, with 8 fatal large-truck crashes since 2015. It is followed by I-5 (7), SR-78 (4) and Buena Creek Rd (1).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage trucks account for 181 of the truck crashes here, or 2.7%, compared with 1.6% in California.
Garbage-truck crashes peak in July (12% of them).
They recorded 2.8 deaths per 100 crashes, against 3.6 for all trucks.
Route planning tips for Lake San Marcos fleets
- Build extra time into March routes: it has the most truck crashes here.
- Look at alternatives to I-15 at busy times: it leads this area in fatal truck crashes.
- For residential and commercial waste routes, look again at July schedules: garbage-truck crashes peak then.
- Morning starts matter: 26.3% of truck crashes fall between 6 and 10 am, higher than California.
- Paste your stops into the free Route Planner to see the risk score, safer alternatives and low bridges.
About the data
Sources: the FMCSA crash file for all reported truck crashes and NHTSA FARS for fatal crashes with a large truck. Every statement here comes straight from those numbers.
Truck crashes by year: all trucks vs garbage trucks
Seasonality: when trucks crash in San Diego County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| I-15 | 8 |
| I-5 | 7 |
| SR-78 | 4 |
| Buena Creek Rd | 1 |
| Del Dios Hwy | 1 |
| El Norte Pkwy | 1 |
| Gopher Cnyn Rd | 1 |
| Harmony Grove Rd | 1 |
| N Melrose Dr | 1 |
| Oceanside Blvd | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (San Diego County) |
|---|---|
| I-5 | 33 |
| I-805 | 29 |
| I-15 | 28 |
| SR-15 | 10 |
| I-8 | 9 |
| SR-78 | 7 |
| Sr-78 E/B | 7 |
| SR-52 | 5 |
Lake San Marcos at a glance
| Land area | 1.7 sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 92078) | $120,268 |
| Median home value (ZIP 92078) | $929,191 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in San Diego County since the 1990s
Combines the FMCSA crash file (all reported truck crashes, real coverage from about 1990) with NHTSA FARS (fatal crashes involving a large truck, 1982–2024).
| Decade | Truck crashes / yr | Change | Fatal crashes / yr (FARS) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2 | — | 14.4 |
| 2000s | 411 | +20465% | 16.2 |
| 2010s | 514 | +25% | 12.4 |
| 2020s | 570 | +11% | 19.8 |
From the 1990s to the 2020s, yearly reported truck crashes went from 2 to 570. Some of the change may reflect how crashes were reported. NHTSA counts 13.5 fatal large-truck crashes a year in 2016–19 and 19.8 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Lake San Marcos
How many truck crashes happen in Lake San Marcos?
6,646 truck crashes have been reported in San Diego County since 2015, with 235 deaths and 3,402 injuries.
Which road has the most fatal truck crashes in Lake San Marcos?
I-15 had 8 fatal crashes involving a large truck within 10 miles of Lake San Marcos since 2015, more than any other road.
When do most truck crashes happen in Lake San Marcos?
Truck crashes in San Diego County peak in March, with 8.8% of the year's crashes.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in Lake San Marcos?
Since 2015, San Diego County has reported 181 garbage-truck crashes, or 2.7% of its truck crashes.
What is the truck crash rate in Lake San Marcos compared with California?
The yearly rate is 17.6 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in San Diego County, vs 33.2 for California.
How do I plan a garbage truck route in Lake San Marcos?
Paste your stops into the free CurbWaste Route Planner: it scores your route against fatal-crash locations, suggests safer alternatives and flags low bridges.
2026 is a partial year. Updated October 2026.